"Zack Snyder's Justice League": one-paragraph review

"Zack Snyder's Justice League," a.k.a. The Snyder Cut, is a 2021 film directed by Zack Snyder. It improves upon the 2017 "Justice League" theatrical release, which ended up being co-directed by Snyder and Joss Whedon after Snyder's daughter committed suicide, taking him away from the project. Whedon brought in his signature Marvel-style humor, and people could tell that the theatrical release—which many started calling "Josstice League," was a Frankenstein's monster of shifting tones, acting, and cinematography. This new cut is four hours long, and it changes the story in some fundamental ways, the most important being that Steppenwolf, the big bad in the 2017 version, is now seen to be something more like the herald of or harbinger for an even greater being, the Thanos-like Darkseid (comics nerds will tell you that Darkseid actually came first; in their respective cinematic universes, however, Thanos entered the public consciousness first). Here are some other changes: more character development for Aquaman, Cyborg, the Flash, the Amazons, and even Alfred; redone battle sequences; less of a romantic subplot between Wonder Woman and Batman; new alternate-timeline dream sequences about the end of the world (including one involving Jared Leto's Joker, redone, in this film, a bit more tastefully); a new, more badass design for Steppenwolf (still voiced by Ciarán Hinds, but even more unrecognizable now); a new, black suit for Superman; and even new music by Tom Holkenborg (taking over for Danny Elfman). There are other changes as well, and overall, I'd say this is a much improved version of the story. I think I called the previous movie "watchable," which may have been one of the more charitable reviews. In this new version, Earth remains the repository of three cosmic "mother boxes," but we learn more about their significance. Alongside that is a subplot about how Earth is also where the so-called Anti-Life Equation—which allows its master to control the free will of all life—resides. The Snyder Cut makes reference to a multiverse as well as to alternate timelines, which aren't exactly the same thing. It's all very metaphysically complicated, but the story embraces its complexity, given the long run time. The new cut takes time to show us in more detail how our heroes come to meet, and how they work together as a team. All in all, I liked this new version a lot better than the theatrical release, and I recommend it to viewers who want to see a decent DC Comics movie. Snyder does give in to the temptation to put everything into slow motion (JJ Abrams likes his lens flares; Zack Snyder likes his slo-mo), and for some people, this will prove annoying, as will the Greek-ish wailing chorus that rings out every time Wonder Woman does something heroic. Those annoyances aside, the movie will come as a relief to people disappointed by the 2017 film, and as a bonus, the scene in which the Flash gets freaked out by Superman's ability to track him at speed is still in this new cut. Unfortunately, with both Amber Heard (sporting a new English accent for her character Mera) and Ezra Miller (who plays the Flash) being in the news, these days, for not-so-savory reasons, their presence in the film might dampen some people's enjoyment. Try to separate the artist from the art.